University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service has released a document entitled: Poultry Litter Management in the Illinois River Watershed of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Co-authors include: Sheri Herron, Research Associate, Andrew Sharpley, Professor, Soil and Water Quality Management; Susan Watkins, Professor, Poultry Specialist, and Mike Daniels, Professor, Water Quality and Nutrient Management.
This document discusses several issues about litter management in the Illinois River Watershed (IRW) and provides stats about litter use and exports. Following is excerpt.
During the past decade, ongoing lawsuits between Oklahoma and several entities in Northwest Arkansas have focused attention on water quality impairment by upstream wastewater treatment facility discharges and the application of poultry litter as a fertilizer.
The main concerns center on phosphorus (P) levels in streams in Northwest Arkansas that flow into Eastern Oklahoma. The lawsuit settlement in the Eucha-Spavinaw Watershed, adjacent to the Illinois River Watershed (IRW), requires users of poultry litter to have a nutrient management plan that determines appropriate rates of application based on the potential for P loss in runoff.
The court case covering the IRW is still awaiting final rule. However, the application of poultry litter to pastures is now regulated by the States of Arkansas and Oklahoma and requires that litter be applied by a state-certified applicator and according to a P-based nutrient management plan.
Thus, both in-house and land management of poultry litter is of importance to this area, as well as other areas of the U.S. with localized concentrations of livestock production;...to download and read document in its entirety, click here.